Large Earthquakes in Bárðarbunga Volcano Detected This Morning

Bárðarbunga volcano hasn’t quite settled after the Holuhraun eruption in 2014 and according to scientists, geothermal activity in the volcano has increased, with more visible ice cauldrons. Since the eruption, Bárðarbunga regularly produces large earthquakes and this morning was no exception, with 2 earthquakes half an hour apart. One was 4.4 on the Richter-scale, and the other was 4.1.

There are no signs of an eruption, and even if these quakes might seem like a lot of activity, chances are that there would be a massive amount of energy released through earthquake activity before an actual eruption. So, scientists will know well in advance if Bárðarbunga decides to pop.

Image: Oddur Sigurðsson

Bárðarbunga is known for fairly large eruptions and erupts on average every 50 years. The last eruption was in 1910. Since the volcano is covered in ice, a large eruption will produce a lot of ash when the lava mixes with melted water.